This era was not at all as dull and dirty as the authors of dark fantasy paint.
1. Medieval clothing was gray and dull
See how the characters from Game of Thrones and other fantasy movies and TV series dress up? There, everyone from kings and lords to common peasants wears the same gray, brown, and black outfits. The only difference is that the commoners have worn clothes, while the rich have new clothes, like haute couture. The color scheme is the same.
But in fact, people in medieval Europe preferred bright and colorful outfits - if, of course, they could afford them. Then most of the garments were made Medieval Clothing and Fabrics in the Middle Ages made of wool, linen, hemp, and even nettle, and without dyeing things were just white, cream or beige.
But even the poorest peasants tried to color them with dyes made from various plants, lichens, tree bark, nuts, crushed insects, and iron oxide.
One of the most popular natural dyesClothes in Medieval England there was a plant called waida, which gives clothes a dark blue hue. Other colors, such as red, crimson, green, yellow, and purple, were less common but were not exceptional. And the rarest was purple because it was difficult to make. Clothes of this color were allowed to be worn only by members of the royal family.
So a crowd of poor people in brown or black clothes is absurd. They preferred to dress up in clothes of all colors of the rainbow: it was fashionable.
2. People were then sure that the Earth was flat
It is unlikely that we will know that then ordinary peasants thought about the shape of the Earth. But the scientists of the Middle Ages were quite sure that our planet was round. And her images in scientific treatises of that time confirm this. Did Medieval People Believe in a Flat Earth?... So even then, people were more knowledgeable than today's flat-earthers.
They probably believed that the earth was flat did Medieval People Believe in a Flat Earth? until the 4th century BC e. However, then the Greek thinkers not only determined that it had a spherical shape but also calculated the exact dimensions of our planet.
The myth of the ignorance of the people of the Middle Ages about the shape of the Earth appearedScience Versus Christianity? , Bosch's "Garden of Earthly Delights": A Progress Reporting the 1800s. At that time, sentiments directed against the Church and creationists were popular in the scientific community. It was believed that the Catholic priests of the Middle Ages called the Earth flat in their sermons - they were so rigid and narrow-minded.
Historian and religious scholar Jeffrey Russell said the myth of the flat earth: "With rare exceptions, not a single educated person in the history of Western civilization from the third century BC believed that the earth was flat."
3. "Iron Maiden" - the best torture weapon of the Middle Ages
How to torture a criminal or heretic who fell into the clutches of the Inquisition? Naturally, shove him into the "iron maiden"! This is a box where a person is placed. The inside of the box is studded with thorns, and the outside is decorated in the shape of a woman. A terrible thing.
But in the Middle Ages, "iron maidens" were not used. This wonderful weapon was invented Iron Maidens Really Torture Devices? , What is an Iron Maiden? not earlier than the end of the 18th century, so this is, one might say, a remake. It is assumed that the myth of the terrible "iron maiden" appeared in the era of the Enlightenment when the Middle Ages were usually presented as a time of terrible ignorance and cruelty.
Torture existed in the Middle Ages, but it was much simplerWhy Medieval Torture Devices are Not Medievalthan shown in popular culture. They did not require "iron maidens", stretching the bones of beds and other apparatus, like John Kramer from the movie " Saw ".
Why are there any difficulties, if there are rope, needles, and knives, as well as fire and water?
And all sorts of torture tools like the "cradle of Judas" and the "iron chair" were not as difficult to manufacture as the hypothetical "iron maiden".
Interestingly, the oldest known "virgin" - the so-called Nuremberg, first shown in 1802 - has not survived to this day. It was allegedly destroyed during the bombing of the city in 1945. Now the Museum of Medieval Criminal Law in Rothenburg ob der Tauber has exposed Europe's largest museum on legal rights - Rothenburg's Medieval Crime and Justice Museum a copy of it. By the way, she looks like a Russian nesting doll in a kokoshnik.
4. Spices were then used to discourage the taste of rotting meat.
A popular bike that is often found in various collections of facts about the "disgusting Middle Ages". There were no refrigerators then, and the meat spoiled quickly. Therefore, it was generously flavored with pepper and other spices. in order to at least somehow eat it, overcoming vomiting.
It sounds creepy and naturalistic, but in reality, nothing like this has happened. First, no spices will make spoiled meat suitable for eating and will not save you from stomach poisoning. And secondly, they were very expensiveRevisited Myth # 31: Spices were used to mask the flavor and odors of rotting food- more expensive than meat. Only really rich and noble people could afford them, and they did not need to choke on rotten stuff.
5. In the Middle Ages, chastity belts were often used
Knights and lords supposedly have such a good tradition: when you leave for the Crusade, put on your lady a chastity belt. So it will be more reliable. The wife will not change, having walked up the heiress on the side, and will be protected in case the castle is captured by enemies. The spouse still has the key to the lock. True, if he dies somewhere in the Holy Land, the lady will be in trouble ...
In fact, the "chastity belt" does not exist THE GIRDLE OF CHASTITY: A Medico-Historical Study, Two historians say chastity belts are purely medieval myths... The long-term wearing of such a thing would cause genitourinary infections, abrasive wounds, sepsis, and death. Women in those days were treated somewhat more severe than now, but still, the wife is a rather valuable representative of the noble family. And to kill her just like that, and even in such a disgusting way, would have occurred only to a real madman.
And numerous photographs of "chastity belts" that can be found on the Internet are relative remakes. From the 1800s to the 1930s, masturbation was considered harmful in medicine, and to wean boys and girls from it, they were put on Jean Stengers; Anne Van Neck: Masturbation: The History of a Great Terror such things - of course, according to the doctor's prescription.
6. The contents of the chamber pots were thrown out of the windows at that time.
And what else to do with the waste products accumulated in the night vase? There is no sewage system.
Before that, you just need to warn the passers-by walking below. And then, like that, you throw at some lord who wants to walk (this is rare, but it happened). He will surely be offended, and the angry aristocrats with the rabble were not particularly almond-shaped at that time.
So was the Middle Ages really that dirty? No, not at all.
It is possible that sometimes the contents of the pots were indeed thrown out of the windows, but this was prohibited by law.
For example, if at the beginning of the 14th century you threw human feces or any other rubbish out of a window onto a London street, you would be fined 40p. This is now roughly equal to $ 142. What is really there, there is a record of how neighbors almost killed one man for throwing outDID PEOPLE IN THE MIDDLE AGES REALLY THROW FECAL MATTER OUT OF THEIR WINDOWS? rotten fish through the window.
People dumped waste into public cesspools or ditches, which were then cleaned out by sewer trucks. Wealthy citizens had their own septic tanks. And the brave men who raked it all up were called gongfermoursDid the People of Middles Ages Era England Really Toss Their Feces Out of the Window? and earned more per day than any other hard worker per week. Although they smelled natural not very good.
7. The water was then so dirty that people had to drink only beer and wine
Those who believe in this myth should try for a week to replace all the drinks in their diet with spirits. You can't stand it for long unless you have a steel liver. Drinking can lead to dehydration, so quenching your thirst with it alone is a dubious thing to do.
In fact, people built their settlements, castles, villages, and cities near freshwater sources. Each settlement had a well that Was the Drink of Choice in Medieval Europe? for the pollution of which very severe penalties were imposed. So it was water that was the main drink of the Middle Ages. It was sometimes mixed with sweeteners such as honey or berries.
Beer in the Middle Ages, however, was also loved Medieval People Drink Beer Instead of Water?... It was not nearly as strong as it is now, but it was thicker and more nutritious. People who were engaged in physical labor drank it then for satiety. Here comes the wine was expensive and available only to aristocrats.
8. Middle Ages - the era of technological stagnation
The Middle Ages can hardly be called a time of stagnation: in fact, then they invented a lot of things that the ancient Greeks and Romans did not think of. for example, Ten Medieval Inventions that Changed the World, mechanical clocks, printing press, windmills, glasses, public libraries, buttresses (these are such supporting arches on the sides of buildings), a quadrant, and an astrolabe. And also pumped firearms, turning them from Chinese amusing fireworks into a real fighting force.
In addition, it was in the Middle Ages that they invented18 Inventions of the Middle Ages That Changed The World the heavy plow that made the agrarian revolution, wheelbarrows for the transport of small loads, and the stern ship rudders, thanks to which the shipping business developed and the great geographical discoveries became possible.
Therefore, the time period of eight thousand years, which in "Game of Thrones" is presented as an analog of the Middle Ages, looks completely unconvincing. During this time, the Westeros would have time to colonize Essos and invent advanced technologies, or even fly to other planets.
9. Lords used the right of the first night
There is a myth that the peasant was obliged to seek permission from his lord for the wedding, as well as provide him with his future wife for one night. This was called Primae Noctis, or "the right to lay on the thigh." Some commoners were allegedly proud that an innocent girl would lie with a noble lord for the first time because then her offspring from her husband would also have a bit of blue blood (yes, in the Middle Ages they believed in telegony ).
But in fact, there is no clear evidence of the existence of the right of the first night in Medieval Europe.
Similar customsCongo: The Epic History of a People were among some tribes in Africa and South America. A young girl was ritually deprived of her innocence by a specially authorized person, for example, a shaman, since contact with female blood was considered something bad and even dangerous. Or she was conceded to a guest, and this was considered an honor for the family. But in Europe, such customs were not common.
"The Right of the First Night" appeared in the culture thanks to the document The Medieval Chastity Belt: A Myth-Making Process1419, compiled by Lord Lariviere-Bourdeau of Normandy. In it, he said that he would consent to the wedding of the subject only if he treated him to a gallon of booze, a piece of pig from back to the ear and paid him 10 sous (this is such a coin). In the end, the lord announced that if he did not receive his own, he would lie down with the girl who was being taken in marriage.
However, the historian Alain Bouraud believes The Medieval Chastity Belt: A Myth-Making Process that this document is just a kind of aristocratic joke. In other historical sources, the right of the first night is not mentioned - the peasants simply paid the wedding fee.
10. People then lived up to 40 years ...
It is believed that due to the terrible living conditions, people in the Middle Ages were dying from endless diseases, unsanitary conditions, and wars by the age of 40. But this is not the case.
Yes, the average life span was 35–40 years due to the very high infant mortality rate. But those who worried Who was Old in the Middle Ages? childhood and becoming an adult had a good chance of living to a ripe old age. At that time, those who were 60–70 years old were considered old.
Therefore, it is not worth taking literally the character of " Real Ghouls ", who looks 40 at is supposedly 16 years old, justifying this with the phrase "life was difficult for us then ...".
11. ... and were incredibly dirty
The Middle Ages were not at all as dirty as described in the novel " Perfumer ". Of course, people then were much less clean than we are, since there was no piped hot water in every house yet. And collecting firewood and heating water on a fire is a rather tedious task.
However, people washed quite well. Medieval Hygiene- in public baths and baths, at home in basins, and who is richer - in baths, and just in natural reservoirs. If it was not possible to plunge completely, at least they washed their hands and face.
There is even a medieval Latin expression "Hunting, playing, washing, drinking is living!" (Venari, ludere, lavari, bibere; Hoc Est Vivere!), Confirming that Europeans then had nothing against bathing.
Yes, there is a story about Queen Isabella I of Castile who allegedly washed herself did Medieval People Bathe? twice in her life, because she made a vow to neglect worldly comforts until she liberated the city of Granada from the Moors, which took about 12 years. But, most likely, this bike was invented because the queen spent a lot of time on hikes and she had one more vidocq.
Louis XIV, who for some reason is also considered a terrible slob, was ridiculously clean KING LOUIS XIV, FRANCE and also washed in the bath - however, he had a habit of doing this in the company of the ladies of the court.
12. The female pleasure was not interested in medieval men
Films and books, created in the spirit of "historical realism" or dark fantasy, demonstrate the complete disregard of men for the feelings of their spouses during intercourse.
But in fact, the people of the Middle Ages were not so indifferent to their wives. Doctors of that time believed how Ideas About The Female Orgasm Have Changedthat female orgasm necessary for the conception of the child no less than the male. And the husband, who wanted to acquire heirs, had to please the lady. It doesn't matter if he was a nobleman or a commoner.
However, this does not mean that the life of medieval women was so wonderful. Firstly, they could not refuse her husband's intimacy. And secondly, rape that ended in pregnancy was considered voluntary acts of love. Since there is a child, then there was an orgasm, which means that everything was by mutual agreement, and legal proceedings are impossible. Such was the time.
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